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ANKARA: Sarkozy In Bid To Make Up For Armenia Remarks Through Aide

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  • ANKARA: Sarkozy In Bid To Make Up For Armenia Remarks Through Aide

    SARKOZY IN BID TO MAKE UP FOR ARMENIA REMARKS THROUGH AIDE

    Today's Zaman, Turkey
    Oct 14 2011

    French President Nicholas Sarkozy, who drew sharp criticism from
    Turkey last week when he urged Turkey to recognize the 1915 massacre
    of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as genocide, has conveyed a message to
    Turkey through his aide, who said Sarkozy's remarks were misunderstood,
    the Anatolia news agency reported on Friday.

    Sarkozy's aide, Jean David Levitte -- known as France's shadow
    foreign minister -- reportedly called Turkish Ambassador to Paris
    Tahsin Burcuoglu and invited him to Elysee Palace. Citing diplomatic
    sources, Anatolia said during the meeting that Levitte told Burcuoglu
    that Sarkozy's remarks were misunderstood in Turkey and that France
    does not want to face off with Turkey on this issue. Levitte stressed
    that France sees Turkey as a great country and that France attaches
    importance to Turkish-French friendship.

    During the meeting, Burcuoglu underscored Turkey's sensitivity on the
    issue of the World War I-era killings of Armenians and told Levitte
    that another bill proposing punishment for anyone who denies the
    "Armenian genocide" would seriously damage bilateral relations.

    Sarkozy drew a strong negative reaction from Turkey when he said last
    week on a short trip to Armenia that Turkey should recognize the 1915
    incidents as genocide, threatening to pass a law in France that would
    make denying this a crime. "The Armenian genocide is a historical
    reality. Collective denial is even worse than individual denial,"
    Sarkozy told reporters.

    "Turkey, which is a great country, would honor itself to revisit its
    history like other great countries in the world have done," the French
    president added. Turkey's response to the French president was harsh,
    with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying the French leader
    should keep his advice to himself.

    France has long been urging Turkey to acknowledge that the allegations
    of genocide are true. Turkey, in turn, has proposed that a committee
    of historians, not politicians, should decide what transpired in 1915.

    The French Parliament recognized the so-called "Armenian genocide" in
    2001, which resulted in short-lived tension between France and Turkey.

    In 2006 the French National Assembly adopted a bill proposing
    punishment for anyone who denies the "Armenian genocide."

    The bill was dropped this summer before coming to the Senate.



    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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